HR screen, then a talk with the Hiring manager and then I ended up interviewing for 2 different roles which mean 2 different case presentations and a few extra 1:1 interviews.

I recently interviewed for a staff Product Manager position. The process involved six rounds of interviews with various individuals across the organization. One of the interviews was an impromptu case study which I found enjoyable to solve. In the final round, I had to present another case on a feature I worked on, which required extensive preparation. This was a panel interview with 3 leaders in the organization. During the panel interview, I noticed that the three of them seemed to be communicating through some sort of group chat. Their eyes kept darting to read messages, and they giggled or smirked throughout the interview. Despite their attempts to conceal it by covering their mouths, it was clear to me and left me feeling irritated and disrespected. Despite my frustration, I maintained professionalism throughout the interview. Immediately after the interview, I was uncertain about whether I still wanted the job, considering that I would be working closely with these individuals on a daily basis and their behavior made my skin crawl. The recruiter was super professional and she emailed me immediately after my final interview and mentioned that she will connect with me in 2 days. On the day she was supposed to connect with me, she sent me an email confirming the exact time she will be calling me. She called and said I did not get the job as they found someone who was a better fit. I asked if there was any other specific feedback on how I could have done better but she said everything I did was great, it's just that the other candidate had more relevant experience in the specific background check industry. That explains the sniggering. I guess the joke was that I had prepared so well but they knew that they would be hiring someone else. Why even waste my time? Why make me go through that case study? I spent a lot of my time doing that case that they wanted. I hate Checkr and even if someone reaches out to me again, I will not interview there at all. I also read reviews that their product sucks. If they only hire super specific people who have experience with the background check industry, then how will they ever be innovative? Innovation comes with fresh eyes. The whole process took slightly over a month. I am honestly glad that I dodged a bullet.